Eyewitness: "Taxi driver waited for police to arrive, killer shot policeman lying on the ground point blank"

Police officer Nikola Krsmanovic (34) was murdered late last night by an Albanian man initially identified as Artan Hajziri, while another policeman, Vjekoslav Ilic (50), was seriously wounded.

The incident happened at the entrance to the town of Loznica, in western Serbia, and eyewitnesses described for Telegraf how the crime happened:

"I heard seven to nine shots... The taxi driver (whose car has) Tutin license plates was driving (the killer), the police took the driver away, also the car. The taxi driver remained at the scene waiting for the police to arrive. (The killer) approached the victim while he was lying on the ground (wounded) and shot another bullet at him point blank," they said.

Artan Hajziri is suspected of murdering police officer Nikola Krsmanovic (34) and wounding his colleague Vjekoslav Ilic (50), and the police have launched an intensive search for him.

The Serbian police have issued a warrant for the killer, who is suspected of having fled to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Meanwhile, Albanian media are saying that the killer was in fact Artan's brother Faton Hajrizi, who had escaped prison and was using his brother's documents.

"While getting out of the vehicle, a person fired from a pistol, hitting police officer Nikola Krsmanovic in the chest, and police officer Vjekoslav Ilic in the shoulder, after which he ran away," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said earlier.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Sabac is investigating at the scene. Hajziri is currently on the run and the police are intensively searching for him.

H.M., who was driving the car, has been detained by order of the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Loznica for the criminal offense of illegally crossing the state border and people smuggling, public prosecutor Slavoljub Petkovic told Kurir.

The entrance to Loznica is blocked by members of the Gendarmerie.

(Telegraf.rs)